Kim1

JeremyKim
Mrs.House
English2HPeriod2
5.17.2016
HowLeadersRule
Today,theUSandotherdemocraticcountrieshavethepeoplevotefortheir
idealleader.Theonecandidatethattheythinkismostconfidentandhasideastomake
thecountryabetterone.Howeveritdidntworklikethatwayforacouplenationsafter
theFirstWorldWar,suchasGermanyandRussia.Thepovertyandfamineinthese
countriespavedwaysforleaderstocometopower.Aleaderseffectiveuseofrhetorical
strategies,suchasappealtoviolence,propaganda,andignoranceallowsthemtogain
controloverhisnation.
Manyhistoricalleadersinthepastwereabletomanipulatethepeoplesmindsby
resortingtoviolencetocausefear.DuringWWII,dictatorssuchasStalin,usedthese
methodstosecuretheirpositionasdictator.NikitaKhrushchev,
apoliticianwholedthe
SovietUnionduringpartoftheColdWar
,expressedhisopinionsonStalinsactionsin
hisSecretSpeech.Stalinusedextrememethodswhentherevolutionwasalready
victoriousthere,weseenowisdombutonlyademonstrationofbrutalforce.
KhrushchevelaboratesaboutjusthowmuchStalinmanipulatedhispower.Stalinused
hispowertogetridofanyonewhohasanyoppositiontowardshim.Asaresult,he
createdaworldwherethepeoplelivedinfearofhim.Additionally,Napoleonfrom
GeorgeOrwells
AnimalFarm,
usedthesametypeofstrategy.Napoleon,withhisnine

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dogsfriskingroundhimandutteringgrowlsthatsentshiversdownalltheanimals
spines(Orwell91).ThepuppiesthatNapoleonhadtakencareofsincebirthhave
beenmadeintoNapoleonspersonalbodyguards/secretpolice.Napoleonusesthe
dogstomaketheanimalstooafraidtoactout.Napoleonwasabletocontrolthe
animalstostayundercontrolandwasabletogetridofanyrivalsthatmighttakehis
positionaway.Althoughforthewrongcause,bothNapoleonandStalinusedviolenceto
controlthepeopleeffectively.
Propagandabackinthe20thcenturywasnotlikethecommercialsontelevision
today,butinsteadweremorepostersonalmosteverywallorwindowofashopor
house.Dictators,suchasHitler,hadusedpropaganda,butusedadifferenttacticthan
theoldposters.HeusedachildsbedtimestoryJustasthepoisonousmushroom
springupeverywheresodoestheJewJustaspoisonousmushroomsleadsto
calamity,sodoestheJew,whichisthecauseofourmisery,distress,andillnesses...
Here,themotherinthestoryistellinghersonthatheshouldntinteractwithJews.Even
withthesmallestinteractionwouldgetthemtrickedorpossiblybeleadtodestruction.
Hitlerspurposewastobeabletocontrolthepeoplebyblamingsomethingthatthey
alreadyhatedmakingitevenmoredespisedinsociety.Thepeoplewouldthenfollow
HItlertogetridoftheirenemies,theJews.Aroundthesametime,Stalinhadpostedhis
owntypeofpropagandatohelplessentheamountoffoodshortagesintheSoviet
Union.Theposterread,GivefirstprioritytogatheringSovietharvest.Thepicture
underneathdepictedRussianfarmersworkinghappilywithbountifulamountsofgrain
andharvest.Seeingthis,theRussianpeoplewouldhavewantedtohelpwiththe

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harvestbecausetheirfamilieswerestarving,anditbroughtthemhope.Byusingthese
posters,Stalinwasabletomanipulatepeopleintoworkingharder,thinkingeverything
wasfortheirbenefit,butinrealityitwasforthegovernment.Leadersused
propagandaeffectivelytobenefitthecountry,butmainlythemselves.
DictatorslikeHitlerandNapoleon(fromGeorgeOrwells
AnimalFarm
)haveboth
usedthepublicsmindlessnessandilliteracytofurthertakecontrol.DuringtheSecond
WorldWar,HitlerhadcontrolofmorethanhalfofEurope.Heoncesaid,Howluckyfor
thoseinpowerthatpeopledontthink.(HitlerQuote)Hitlerhadclaimedthathewould
getGermanyoutofitsdiresituationcausedbytheLeagueofNationsandbring
Germanybackintoitsformergreatness.Thepeople,whoweredesperatetogetoutof
poverty,blindlyfollowedHitler,whichaidedHitlersrisetopower.Inthealternateanimal
talkinguniverse,Napoleonisyetagainouttotakecontrolofthefarm.Theyhad
thoughtthattheFifthCommandmentwasNoanimalshalldrinkalcohol,buttherewere
twowordsthattheyhadforgottenNoanimalshalldrinkalcohol
toexcess
(Orwell
113).Overtime,thepigsofthefarmstartedtoaddwordstothecommandmentsto
benefitthemselves.Theanimalswhohaveallbeenpresentduringthewritingofthe
SevenCommandments,failedtoevenrecognizethatithadbeenrewrittenoverand
over.TheGermanpeople'slongingforabetterlifeandtheanimalsfoolishnesshad
allowedanevenfasterrisetopowerfortheirleaders.
TheSecondWorldWarhadpresentedtheworldwithnumerousnew
technologiesandinnovationsinlifestyles.Howevernoneofthesecancomparetowhat
theleadersofthetimehadbrought.Theirrepetitivestylesoftakingcontrolofthepeople

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haveshowedtheworldthattheseleaders,maybeevensometoday,usethesetactics
withoutthepeopleevennoticingit.

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WorksCited
AdolfHitler.XploreInc,2016.11May2016.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/adolfhitle109950.html
Hiemer,Ernst.
DerGiftpilz
.Nuremberg,Strmerverlag,1938.6
Khrushchev,Nikita.SecretSpeech.TwentiethPartyCongressoftheCommunistParty
oftheSovietUnion.
n.d.
Speech.
Orwell,George.
AnimalFarm
.NewYork:HoughtonMifflinHarcourt,1945.Print.
Voron,Maria.ShockbrigadeReapingforaBolshevikHarvest(1934).
Persuasive
Images:PostersofWarandRevolutionfromtheHooverInstitutionArchives
.
PrincetonNJ:PrincetonUniversityPress.1992.Print.